So what do we have in store for you this time? From the freestyle side we have an interrogation with TheSaxLad who as well as discussing his obsession with the saxophone, shares with us what is like to lead The 4th Crusade to all their many..er.. victories In Tournaments, among other things, we have an update on the TPA events from jrh_cardinal, which are now well into the second half of proceedings. Exciting stuff. From the foundry, new exec Victor Sullivan shares with us an interview with the boys in blue and also has a waltz with the foundry! Find out below what this means. As for clans, we are given previews of the Conqueror's Cup and also the Newcomer's Cup, which are about to kick off and should be very exciting!

It has been another exciting few weeks in Conquer Club with the entertainment team causing trouble again by bringing back the fantastically pink Cutesy Club, hosting the exciting spread the love contest and also the beautiful poetry contest (where the submissions are currently being reviewed). Contest medals were also handed out to all those lucky enough to have won a Battle Royale!

This issue we have Victor Sullivan returning with his regular feature 'The Scum Insider' to inform us of the developments on the mafia games circuit. DoomYoshi offers us another new feature entitled 'Random Game Analysis.' This edition he discusses the perils of 1vs1 and the regular complaint that it is often all dependent on who goes first and the drop. Below you shall also find an interrogation of discussions moderator TheSaxLad.

I am also pleased to welcome Kaisermikeb and KingRat as well as DoomYoshi to the freestyle team and we all look forward to what they have to offer in future editions!

Newbie HelpWant to get into the Mafia scene, but don't know how to play or even what it is? Consult these threads: Mafia Information, Mafia and You, and Rules and Terms of Mafia.Too much work? Too lazy to read through everything? No worries, you can always jump right into a game and ask for other players or the game runner to help guide you.

What is "Mafia"?Mafia, for those of you that don't know, is a game that generally takes place in a town, where the townspeople have to determine who the mafia (or "scum") is and lynch them via a majority vote during the day and the mafia try to kill everyone at night and bluff their way out of getting killed by the town.

Mafia NewsMafia news, mafia news... Ah! TheSaxlad is starting his first mafa, and Fircoal delivered a swift kick in the balls to this reporter in his new mafia. In other news, aage started a discussion thread about Day 1 voting, a.k.a., joke voting. What is joke voting? An annoyance that ultimately wastes time and gets everyone nowhere? Or is it a fundamental aspect of Day 1 that is the only way to oust the scum through slip-ups? Join the discussion now!

The Story of Herk Mann: Installment 2Mr. Squirrel closed the journal. "I'll be damned! Another victim of those scum!" He flinched a little, feeling he may have been a little too dramatic.Before the island, Mr. Squirrel was a certified cop, and his real name wasn't actually "Mr. Squirrel". He was known for his cowardice amongst the cops and thus came the nickname "Squirrel". As squirrels run from humans because they think they're hostile, so did Mr. Squirrel, and he was eventually fired for it, despite his investigative skills. After he turned in his badge, he became sorely bitter against government enforcement in the states and he began to plot his revenge. Six months later, when he heard about the new territory, he immediately reserved a spot in hopes to re-claim lost respect, and maybe to take revenge yet... Along with his new home came a new name, Mr. Squirrel, to remind him of what he cannot allow himself to be...

"Is there any information in the journal as to who the threat might be?" the man called "Edocsil" asked.Doctor Ed Sil was known as a modern-day mad doctor, but mostly due to the fact that no one really knew who he was, what he did, or what he was even a doctor of. "Edocsil", as he preferred to call himself, was a second-rate genius and delighted in the deceptions of logic problems. Though mostly anti-social, his personality came out through the puzzles he inevitably solved. When he heard of the newly acquired territory, he was excited to embrace the puzzles of survival...

"None," said Mr. Squirrel.

CC Mafioso SectionEach issue will now feature a section dedicated to those in the "CC Mafioso" usergroup. Here's this issue's segment as suggested by nagerous:

Here we have a game which shows several of the problems associated with Conquer Club. The main problem with 1v1, although it is downplayed by a lot of fans of the mode, is the importance in having either the first turn or the drop. Cennobite managed to secure a continent on the first turn, which doesn't happen too often. When it does though it can be devastating for the opponent.

The second problem is the importance of the dice. jscoles37 suffered a major setback, as not only could he not even card, but Cennobites troops were very effective. A third problem is not structural, but rather a problem with the community. After Cennobite secured two continents, rather than trying to hold out for a miracle, jscoles37 suicided.

I know there are differences of opinions on suiciding in a case like this. Some players would rather the game be given up so as not to waste people's time. This argument has a hidden assumption though. The hidden assumption is that the outcome is predetermined at this point, and should therefore be reached with all due haste. The silliness of this argument, especially in this game, is that no outcome in CC is predetermined. Chance underlies every aspect of the game. I will agree that it is an exceptionally small chance that red could've won the game from Round 2. However, I will also point out that there is an exceptionally small chance that green has two continents by round 2 on the classic map.

However, this whole argument leads to another facet of Conquer Club, one which isn't a problem. Both players are freemium. They both play 90% or higher on Classic and both 90% or higher in 2 player games. They obviously like these settings and agreed that the outcome was predetermined. With only 4 games to choose from, a brutal uphill battle is not nearly as fun as a quick victory. So it would appear that CC truly does have a bit of something for everyone.

NEXT TIME:Game 4038656 Pm me if you have any comments on the analysis or if you have any points about the next game.

Q. On the back of the time v t4c challenge do you think it was wise challengeing tofu. Do you not feel it would of been a lot better facing another smaller clan ?

This feels like an Eddie question... Actually I dont to be honest, TOFU are a great clan and they were very courteous to us and got ALL their games out on time. Even though we were hammered it was a great experience and has really toughened us up for matches against the dragoons in the 1v1 and Our current wars against RA and OSA.

Q. Can you actually play the saxophone? If so how long, what made you want to play, and alto or tenor or soprano?

I do actually play saxophone, funnily enough. Ive played for 7 years and am currently looking at College places to study music. I think what made me want to play was a combination of Paul Desmond--------->Paul Desmond and a combination of a Big Band I heard when I was younger, which I now play lead alto in

Q. What are your favourite settings on CC?

Logged In with Turns notifier and clickies working properly. Although thats probably not what you meant now is it?

Q. What is it like leading your clan?

Interesting, In my time, albeit only a couple of months, Ive seen clans dissolve around me split up, change names. Its hard running a clan, real hard, theres so much to take care of from recruitments, to wars, to morale of members as well as the general queries. I am so lucky at T4C that we have a team of Leaders, Tokle, Blackknight_6 and TheCrown, are amazing people and amazing player and make my life a whole lot easier. Couldnt do it without them.

Q. You are actively involved in many different areas of CC, what is your favourite?

Ooh. I love all areas of CC... My real favourite is running my clan I think, I love doing that but after that it definitely has to be mafia. what a great game, with great people to play it with. Big thanks to Mr. Squirrel for getting me into it

Q. If you weren't a discussions moderator what type of moderator would you like to be?

Now this is a hard one. I like my job as a discussions moderator. Sometimes some people in Not be Named make it hell, ( no names mentioned) but it is a quite a nice job. I think that if I wasnt a discussion moderator, I would love to become part of the entertainment team, writing in the dispatch and helping special events, I think is a great thing and the people in the Entertainment Team are top notch (Thats not to say the rest of my team arent their great... Im digging myself a hole here arent I?... Im gonna stop now.)

Q. Why do you keep playing CC?

To be perfectly honest I would have stopped playing CC a long time ago if I wasn't for my clanmates, scummates and a map called doodle earth .

Q. If you could change your username to anything, what would you choose?

why would I have to choose? Surely if I could only change it to anything thats what Id change it to. Silly People...

Q. Do you have the hots for rds?

Obviously. not.

Q. What do you like the most? Either having someone lynched, or track someone down at night and kill him?

Hey Hey Hey, thats racist havent you heard???????

Q. If the dice were your girlfriend, would you 1) take her on a hot date 2) break up with her, or 3) take over the world?

Depends, she always seems to get better at night so...

Q. Where did that "riugby" conversation go?

No Comment.

Q. Favourite map?

Doodle Earth

Q. Is it true you had to sell your soul to start T4C?

Not quite my soul. But KA was running short of underpants....

Q. Does it bother you when people ask multiple, unrelated questions in the same post?

Depends who it is. If one of the next questions is by Victor Sullivan, then yes.

Q. If, and when?

Soon, Very Soon Young Padawan...

Q. It's ten years from now. lackattack has just officially announced CC's 15th birthday and the tragedy that Andy died in a plane crash of one of Dole's banana shipment planes as a stow away. Shocked by the news, you weep bitterly sitting at your computer in your one bedroom apartment. After mostly collecting yourself, you go back to your discussion mod duties, as you have done for the past ten and a half years, checking your inbox first. Surprisingly, you see lackattack himself has PM'd you. Hand still quivering and possibly more so now, you click on the PM link, titled "Important - Please Respond ASAP". Holding your breath, you read the message carefully, so as to not miss even a punctuation mark. lackattack has offered you AndyDufresne's job as community manager and notifies you that you will be in charge for the next month, as he vacationing in Fiji to focus on family for the month. He says that your word is law, and he trusts any decisions you make over the course of his vacation. You respond immediately, gratefully accepting the position. What is your first order of business and how would you change things over the one month period?

VICTOR!!!!!!!!!! YOU MAKE ME SOOOOO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q. If you were to take three users and three maps to a desert island what would they be?

I would take JefJef, MegasWoman and TheCrown. I would also take Waterloo, Battle For Iraq and doodle Earth. For the sole reason I could pair up with the crown and the rest they say is History...

Q. When you are not playing CC or the saxophone what are your other hobbies/interests?

I am an Active scout leader, and a swimming teacher

Q. Is it true you bribed Andy with bananas to become a moderator?

Well Andy didnt need to be bribed when he saw my banana.

Q. What do you enjoy most about being a moderator?

I Enjoyed reading the handbook in the Discussion Mods Forums "50 Ways to discpline Army of God" Q. Thanks for the answers SaxLADThanks for... um...

Let me get back to you on that.

Hi again amigos and welcome to your favorite part of the Newsletter: "War Games", where you can find information about CC Tournaments.

First of all, I want to mention that we have new members in our team: soldierboy, Angola, sonicsteve and General Brewsie. We are working on new projects and ideas that hopefully we can bring to you in the near future.

Dukasaur's "Meet the Winners" series is presenting two more interviews: long-time CC members Shai and Gypsys Kissare both being honored. Dukasaur is really getting into his subject: Not only is he reporting on tournaments, but he is trying hard to win several of them, and he has recently launched his first effort as tournament organizer.

soldierboy is taking over the "Join this? or Not!" Section and jrh_cardinal has put together a new TPA update.

We hope you find this issue of "War Games" interesting, and please stay tuned for the new upcoming sections that we are working on.

The TPA (Tournament Players Association) has been going along as usual since the last update. There has been little change at the top of the Scoreboard, sonicsteve is leading, followed closely by Bones2484 and HighlanderAttack, with several others on their heels vying for the General Achievement Awards that will be handed out at the end of the season. Anyone attempting to catch them needs to step up soon, the 2010-2011 TPA season is nearing its conclusion, the final event is only two months away.

Welcome to Join this? or Not! This is my very first article with the newsletter so I hope you enjoy it!

The first tournament I picked was koontz1973. I picked this for all those people that have never won a tournament. Get Your First Winners Medal 7 is a series that kootz1973 just started not to long ago that is played on doodle earth with the settings: auto, sequential, Escalating, chained, and sunny. He is currently on # 7 so far but it seems to be a big hit. I also talked to koontz1973 and he plans on running these tournament for a long time. So if you haven't won a tournament then jump on one of these. They fill up fast so you don't catch 7 then catch one of the next ones!

Next, I picked a terminator tournament for all those terminator fanatics out there. This terminator was organized by merch313 and is called 313's Jamaican Terminator. It is a 64 player tournament that he has only 39 players for so go join up! It will be played on the Jamaica map and the settings will be manual, sequential, flat rate, unlimited forts, and foggy.

mgconstruction has his maps that he likes series The one currently up for sign ups will be Forbidden City map. The tournament is 1 vs 1. If you think you are the best on this map or you are good at it then join this tournament. Each round will be best of three including the championship game. The settings will be Sequential, Auto, Escalating, chained, Sunny. He currently has 7 signed up and is looking for 16 players. So join up and prove how good you really are on this map.

Calling all freemiums! SB's Battle of the Doodle I,soldierboy, am the organizer of this tournament. I started this tournament to give the chance of all those freemiums out there to get a chance to win 1 year premium membership. The winner of this tournament will get the compliments of me buying their membership for a year. I currently have 10 players signed up and needing 6 more. So hurry up before it fills up!!!!!

That is all for this issue but stay tuned for the next issue for more exciting tourneys! Go to the Create/Join a Tournament or Tournaments Tab and sign up in these and the other tournaments not mentioned here. Gl to all you tournament players out there!

Gypsys Kiss won the Master of Assassin tournament, organized by poptartpsycho18. This tournament was first launched on April 23rd and finally won on December 31st, New Year's Eve. It involved 36 assassins playing on maps chosen by them. As Gypsys Kiss explains in the interview, it was his first win, a moment that he had been waiting three and a half years for.

Ok G.K., I'll start with my standard first question, and then we'll see where we go from there. What attracted you to this particular tournament?

Haha...I dont really know, I had only played a handful of assassin games before this tournament. I was obviously in the mood for something different and this one caught my eye.

Several things struck me when I read the tournament thread: how long it took to play out (at one point the tournament organizer apologizing for the length of games due to the tenacious players) and how much players seemed to be enjoying it (several posts by people saying so, including a few saying it was their "favourite" tournament of all time.) These are some of the things that made me pick this for a winner interview. Can you give me a few highlights?

Hmmm, highlights. Winning my first tournament was the biggest highlight. And the spirit in which it was played, all the people in my groups were great to play against. There was no bickering or animosity that I can remember and not much bitching about the dice either. Even when one player eliminated the wrong target, a solution was found amicably. Oh, and it was my first tournament win, did I mention that?

Yes, you've mentioned that...

Obviously it was a thrill to win your first tournament. Can you quantify how much of a thrill? Did you crack open a bottle of champagne? Did you holler out the windows? Did you have a smile on for 24 hours?

No champagne or hollering out the windows....but I did have a couple of bottles of Rekorderlig Winter Cider that I was saving for the right moment. And yes the self satisfied smile did last for a while. Its more of a sense of achievement than a thrill, seeing as it took 3 and a half years. And now I've done it once, I know I can do it again...... I just hope I don't have to wait as long.

The ironic part is how close you came to being thrown out of the tournament. You were on vacation and there was a notice from the tournament organizer if you didn't join your next game within 24 hours you'd be out. And just in the nick of time you came back...irony befitting a Hollywood movie! Do you think some of your opponents wish you had extended your vacation just a tiny bit?

I'd forgotten about that. I suppose it was a bit on the lucky side and I'm sure the rest had forgotten as well. Maybe it was a bit of divine intervention, because I was kicked out of a tournament the previous summer for the same reason when I was doing well........now, who is going to play me in the Hollywood blockbuster???

Who would you like to have playing you in a Hollywood blockbuster?

As long as its not Danny DeVito, I dont mind. A young Sean Connery maybe and my love interest would be Cameron Diaz.... mmmmm

There's a few avatars on this site that you'd probably like to hook up with...

Yeah, but I'd prefer the real thing.

Ok, I think we're rapidly drifting off topic...

What do you think makes tournaments worth playing? Is it the extra recognition of the trophy? Is it that, as some say, the competition is tougher? Or is it the special themes and details that elevate the games past their ordinary status?

Ummm....the recognition is nice, but not everything, sure I'd like to have won a few more but such is life. Tournament games tend to be played in a better spirit than open games, of course a lot of the time, you are playing the same players (Map Blaster for instance...169 simultaneous games against the same seven guys) and it always helps to have a bit of trust in your opponent. And the competition is always tough, whether it be a striper or a colonel.So what's next for you? Have you set any specific goals on CC?

My immediate goal is to win Map Blaster, we are in the final round, so you never know. And I recently joined Mythology so helping to win a clan war is an important objective. As long as I continue to have fun I shall keep coming back....and after nearly 4 years I aint bored yet!

I just did a search for your Map Blaster games. Pretty impressive, your group is -- seven Majors and a Captain. Not a slacker in the bunch. So competition is pretty brutal, but you've made it to the last round. Think you have a decent chance?

Haha!..in all honesty, I don't think I can win it. I only just scraped by to get to the final....but I shall fight all the way.

Well, any parting shots? Anything you want to say about tournaments, or about CC in general?

The most important thing to say is thanks to all the tournament organizers for giving us all a chance to be winners.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions, and good luck in all your future games!

Shai was the winner of the World Cup 2010 - South Africa tournament, organized by Forza AZ. This is was the capstone in a series, where players had to qualify in one tournament in order to be in the final. Just like the real World Cup, the endeavor took years, with the first qualifying round (Europe) taking place in November of 2007. Shai qualified in Africa, the second of the six qualifying rounds.

Congrats on your win in the World Cup tournament. I'm the new reporter for the CC Dispatch in the tournaments section. Could you please answer a few questions for me for the Dispatch?

Hi Mate, I would be more than happy too!And I have to put in some kind words to Serbia that fought me from round one and then again in the finals, and in both rounds proved a great adversary, intelligent and fair!

Excellent, thank you. (And I'm very happy that you have good words to say about your opponent!) Well, I'll start with my standard first question, and we'll go from there.What attracted you to this particular tournament?

That's an easy Question to answer - I'll join any tournament run by my main man Forza AZ! I like the structure of his tournaments, he is a great organizer and manages to attract quality players. He keeps a well run thread, sends game links via PM (which makes it simple to join), and it's easy to stay up to speed with your tournament standingsI think a big thanks is well overdue to Forza AZ and to all the other tournament directors for doing such a great job!

This was a fairly long tournament, was it not? How many games did you end up having to play in total?

In round 1 I qualified luckily in a runner up playoff game, so I totalled 14 games, winning 7 of them.In the second round I played 14 games, and won 10, mostly 1v1s

That's quite a lot of games to get through, and especially the 1-on-1s, which can be so quirky. At what point did you start to feel you were going to win?

The last game against Serbia, after finishing the first two even, I had a great drop and started on a World 2.1 Map

Your admiration for Serbia was something you mentioned at the very beginning of the interview, before I even asked the first question. Sounds like you guys had a very intense but friendly rivalry going.

I just went and checked how many games we actually played together, and it seems apart from the tourney we only played one game together... I was sure we'd played more together... I guess the game that we went to round 108 Game 7466752 proved he is a good player!

In the end he said that if he loses, he rather it was to an Israeli

So after going 108 rounds. meeting in the finals was symbolical.

The theme was World Cup soccer. Are you a big soccer fan in real life?

Hate to admit it but I don't really like soccer, I'm more of an NBA fan (Gooooo Wizards!)The only reason I watched the finals of the World Cup was because I had some money on Spain and the broadcast hours were reasonable (I'm from Israel so the time zone is similar to South Africa)

That leads me to a personal question, if you don't mind. I've been looking at the tank in your avatar, but at that resolution I can't see any insignia. You're from Israel, where everybody has to serve in the army. So is that your tank in the avatar, one that you actually served in?

I served (and still do as a reserve once a year) as a tank driver, and drove an upgraded M-60 Patton Battle Tank. The tank in the picture is actually not my tank, I took the picture from within my Tank during training... you can notice at the top the tip of my tank's cannon...Do you find any difference between tournament play and regular games? Do you get more focused and spend longer on your turns? Speak more (or less) in chat?

Well, first of all In tournament games i focus on the tournament objectives, and If I have to "play nasty" in order to achieve a tournament goal I'll do it (eliminate the points leader for example).I also try to take my turns slower, and since we're in for a long ride, I tend to be more friendly, especially if the players are from interesting places... It's especially fun to speak to people from different cultures!Generally I chat too much - I think there is a great advantage in psyching out your competition.You have six tournament victory cups, so you must be doing something right...

The thing I'm doing right is playing many tournaments

You play a lot of different tournaments. Any type of format you would like to see more often? How about less often?

I would like to see more tournaments from "good" organizers (the ones that send 'easy to enter' game invites, have organized threads etc.)I don't like 1v1's because it's just a skirmish, usually determined more by dice and drop than tactics and strategy...I hate freestyle - no need to explain why, right?Oh, and on that note, I hate the feudal, age of, etc. maps because it's just the same game play... same strategy in all maps, just different tactics...

Okay, thank you very much for your time, and good luck in your future endeavors on CC!

Thank you for your time, patience and efforts!I think that CC is a good site, but what makes it great is the CC community and volunteers!

One concluding note: when I volunteered for this project, I offered to interview "all of the tournament winners." How naive I was! I had no idea what a staggering number of tournaments there really are. Now I understand that there is no way I will be able to get to everyone. I intend to publish two or three interviews in every edition of the Dispatch, but even so I will probably only get to talk to about 5 or 10 percent of all the winners. My approach will be partially random and partially targeted. Some will be chosen because of their fame or amazing stats, some will be chosen because I find the tournament they were in to be unusual or especially interesting, and many will be chosen completely at random. I will pay special attention to those that are winning a tournament for the very first time. If you are looking forward to telling the story of the exciting tournament that you were just in and want to be on my list, please feel free to PM me any time.

Ahoy there, folks! Sully here again, and I'm here to stay. dolomite13 decided to step down due to circumstances that he can tell you about if he so chooses. He will be missed. But with the passing of one era comes the dawn of a new one, the Era of Victor Sullivan... I am proud to be the Dispatch's Foundry Executive and am excited to serve on Sammy's Dispatch team in a whole new way. Unfortunately, my Foundry team is rather bare at the moment, as it's just me, natty, and MarshalNey, and due to various circumstances, they were unable to write for this issue, so this issue gets a concentrated dose of Sully! Anywho, if you are interested in joining my team of Foundry Reporters, please PM me! Hopefully I'll get some writers for a jam-packed next issue! I hope you enjoy this issue's less standard set of articles.

Ahoy, there, Dispatch readers and Foundry fanatics! Instead of the usual "Map Spotlight", this issue puts the spotlight on the VIPs of the Foundry: the Cartographers - those guys with the pretty blue names. Enjoy!

NOTE: TaCktiX declined to be interviewed, MrBenn did not respond, and MarshalNey was out.

Sully: Wow, there has been a lot going on in the Foundry! First, which current or recent event are you most thrilled about? Why?

Industrial Helix wrote: For me at least, it's the Golfe contest. It was an interesting map to begin with and I was sad to see it fall. We need more standard maps because there's a crowd for them and they like new maps that are in their favorite style as well. We can't just please the complicated map lovers, right? So hopefully, this will spur some new maps for a group of players on CC who were generally neglected in 2010.

isaiah40 wrote:Well I would say that the recent event I am most thrilled about is being asked, and then officially joining this great team of carto's!

RedBaron0 wrote:I liked the addition of the Christmas map, its addition continues to add veritility to what we can do on holidays for any sort of event.

iancanton wrote:The Golfe du Saint Laurent contest enabling the map to be resuscitated. Believe it or not, this is still the thread where I've been most active!

thenobodies80 wrote:Certainly bigger maps. To be more specific I'm looking forward to see the impact that Tisha's First Nations Americas Map will have on the site, afterall it will most likely be the first real "bigger map".

Sully: What is it like being a Cartographer? For nobodies and isaiah, being in your new positions?

Industrial Helix wrote:It's... it's a good thing. I like to think that I'm helping others make the maps that they want to see on CC. It's quite fun to see a map make it from drafting room to quenched and finally get to play it after so much speculation about gameplay and graphics. The downside is that you got to be the bearer of bad news sometimes and you sometimes earn the enmity of mapmakers... most of them are troopers though and are quite fun and rewarding to work with.

isaiah40 wrote:Hard. And I say this because for example, if we personally don't like map X, we still make suggestions or give the mapmaker ideas on how to improve his/her map so that it meets foundry standards. We have to do our best to not let our personal opinions get in the way (even though some think we are stating our opinions all the time) of helping the mapmaker.

RedBaron0 wrote:It's hard and rewarding work, Conquer Club has the best maps around and I'm proud of our map makers for having the best ideas and skills to making them beautiful.

iancanton wrote:Just like being a player, but with a feeling of duty and responsibility.

thenobodies80 wrote:This question is funny from my point of view...my days are not changed so much with my new position. It's just a pratical thing.Anyway I'm proud to have been chosen.

Sully: To you, what does it mean to be a "Cartographer"?

Industrial Helix wrote:It means you got to put up with some stuff you don't want to do, look at maps you don't want to and critique them when you have other things to do. It's different than just being a mapmaker in the foundry, where you can choose which maps to ignore and which to look at. Everyone expects you to post in their thread and give it attention, sometimes in depth attention. There's been many a time where a mapmaker has PMed me and I lose an hour or two evaluating their map. There's some work involved, but overall its for a good purpose and when I take my turns on a map I'm reminded of that. So in short, it means a sort of dedication to CC where you're willing to put up with a lot of crap in an effort to make this a better site and enjoyable experience for all.

isaiah40 wrote:This is the question!? It means to be making maps silly! But it goes beyond that to include helping those mapmakers who seem to have talent and giving them a helping hand without wanting anything in return. Example, when I was doing my Fractured America map, WidowMakers pitched in and helped me with ideas and showed me how to do certain things, and even though I offered to put his name on the map, he turned it down. That is what a cartographer means to me.

RedBaron0 wrote:It means we make maps pure and simple. Us guys in blue have the distinction of guiding a map and its maker though the process. Especially now, the ideas we have now only get better and better, most of the simple concepts have been done, we have to continue to help maps become innovative additions to our fantastic library.

iancanton wrote:To have pride in helping mapmakers to produce a better map than they thought possible through the nudges that are given to them.

thenobodies80 wrote:What Cartography Assistant litterally means.Share your time (lot of time), your skill and your experience to assist the others to produce the best possible maps.

Sully: What is your favorite "Cartographer memory"?

Industrial Helix wrote:Hmm... well the most recent fond memory has been watching Tisha's First Nations of the Americas map blow the doors off the foundry. Working with Rask on Central Asia has been rewarding as well. The map is complicated as hell and it's killed my time... but its gonna be a fun map to play when it gets done. It's nice to read his perspectives on how real world situations translate to a board game. MarshalNey has had some good input too, it's a real interesting read.

RedBaron0 wrote:I was very happy to see the list of maps from last year and how well they have integrated into the fabric of the site. (I also was quite happy to see my own pride and joy, Japan, be recognized as one of the most popular )

iancanton wrote:Being heavily involved in Oceania and Castle Lands, which were the first map projects of thenobodies80 and pikkio, then to see thenobodies80 progress to being a valuable and respected member of Team CC. My second-favourite memory is probably the welcome that qwert gave to the unfortunate MrBenn when he received his blue colours!

thenobodies80 wrote:Editor's note: thenobodies80 did not respond to this question.

Sully: Any sneak peek you care to reveal to our Dispatch readers about future events in the Foundry?

Industrial Helix wrote:I'm not really at liberty to say anything on special events or contests. But we've got a few things coming down the pike. The first half of 2011 is pretty well planned. I think a lot of our focus is leaning towards getting some of those gems out of the recycling bin and into play... Golfe du St-Laurant, for example, or Balkan Peninsula. Maybe First Crusade once we ever get the psd file. It's more of an individual effort on the cartos part than a concerted foundry effort.

isaiah40 wrote:Well I'd tell you, but then I would have to hunt you down and kill you!

RedBaron0 wrote:Welllllllll, perhaps I might have a little something cooking that might involve the previous mention of the favorite maps of 2010, and it might not be what you think.

Good day to you sirs and madams! Since it's just me this issue, I'd like you all to dance with the Foundry. My waltz dance instructor always said (along with "What the hell are you doing?!" and "Don't you backsass me, Left Feet!"), "To waltz with someone you must get to know them first. Dancing with a stranger is one of those preposterous things Hollywood writers have conjured up." So ladies and gentlemen, let's take a waltz!

It's painfully apparent the lack of commenting in the Foundry. Like I said last issue in my little write-up, the Foundry is the future of Conquer Club. Take part in the future! Even something as simple as encouraging words for the mapmaker can go a long way. Criticism is craved by all mapmakers, and the Cartographers aren't there to be the only voice guiding the map, you can share your thoughts as well! This brings me to why Evil DIMwit left (according to MrBenn):

MrBenn wrote:Evil DIMwit is going to be missed - in part due to the death of decent and regular gameplay commentators around the place.

Suggestions, comments, nitpicks - all of it is necessary to a map's progression. Just as two can't waltz if one isn't waltzing, the Foundry can't function properly without you helping out. And just like the waltz, it can take time - analyzing and commenting on maps isn't a quick process, and if you really want to invest in the Foundry, you do have to make that sacrifice. But along with that sacrifice comes its rewards - respect, gratitude, and you get to have a say in what the map looks like, or what the gameplay can be, and you can see it progress and play it in beta, satisfied with the project as if it were your own. I urge you, dear Dispatch readers, to follow a map, post in a map thread or two, just pitch in when you can. If you feel inadequate due to your lack of knowledge of XML capabilities or any other of various reasons, feel free to PM me! I am eager and willing to help you help the Foundry!

So the Foundry itself is comprised of 7 forums: the Drafting Room, Gameplay Workshop, Graphics Workshop, Final Forge, Viewing Gallery, Tools, Tutorials & Guides, and Foundry Discussions. The Drafting Room contains the beginnings and the scraps of maps. It contains two subforums: the Melting Pot, for those maps that are just text on a page so far, and the Recycling Bin, for stalled or dead projects. The Drafting Room itself is for those eager mapmakers that post their idea along with a draft, or a rough sketch of their map idea. For those that have a clear concept design and gameplay/graphics plan after some brewing in the Drafting Room, they receive the beautiful red Draft Stamp:The Gameplay Workshop is to hammer out, well, the gameplay. This includes usage of various XML features (such as the new losing conditions), territory borders, bonus structure, starting positions, neutrals, etc. The main goal of Gameplay Workshop is to make the gameplay sensible given the concept, but also fair (such as, we don't want somebody to have a high potential of starting out with a +2 bonus or something). Once the gameplay is solid, the map receives the lovely green Gameplay Stamp:If a map is in the Graphics Workshop, the map is in the process of being "prettyfied". lackattack has high standards when it comes to his site's maps, so no nitpick is too small here. Unfortunately, this is cause for some of the slowness in the Foundry, but such is the price of quality visuals. Graphics can come in many flavors, and a lot is based solely on one's opinion, but the graphics must be clean (no pixelation or other weirdness) and it must fit the concept in some way (you probably don't want a parchment background for a map that takes place in 2112). Once the graphics are up to par, the gorgeous blue Graphics Stamp is awarded:The Final Forge is the home stretch. Maps are coded with XML then off to Beta! XML is what makes the maps work. XML is just a giant text code - you can learn about how to code a map in the Tools, Tutorials & Guides forum. Once the XML is complete and it's been checked, the map receives the sweet orange XML Stamp:Final Forge is also where beta maps reside. Once the XML Stamp is given and the Cartographers think it's time for the map to be put into play, the grey Beta Brand is given:Soon thereafter, the map is put into live play! During live beta period, mapmakers become aware of any unforeseen issues and fix them accordingly. This can include wording, neutral adjustments, territory nomenclature, bonus adjustments, etc. Once it seems the map has reached a point where there are no concerns, the map is awarded the official red Quenched Brand:The Viewing Gallery is the resting place for all quenched map threads. Any further concerns after quenching can be made there, though the time for change has mostly passed, so the chance of your concerns being addressed is slim. Feel free to browse the Viewing Gallery to your heart's content and see Conquer Club's history Tools, Tutorials & Guides is full of wonderful things to help a Foundry newb: MrBenn's Feedback Guide, oaktown's Mapmaker's Guide, gimil's How to Make a Map Handbook, DiM's Mapmaking Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials, Twill's Mapmaking Tools, and yeti_c's XML Tutorial. There is also a Mapmaking Q&A for any questions you may have (though feel free to PM me any questions if you prefer, I like to think I'm rather knowledgeable in Foundry affairs ).Finally, there's Foundry Discussions. Foundry Discussions includes a range from simple questions, to announcements, to fun Foundry-related topics, to full-fledged discussions. All Foundry competition threads also appear in the Competitions subforum in Foundry Discussions.

You have your motive, you know your partner, now get out there and waltz like you've never waltzed before! I hope to see some new faces in the Foundry soon!

AndyDufresne wrote:Ahoy Ahoy Bananas (its a term of endearment, really)

Oaktown, Gimil, and Myself are happy to announce a New Member to our Foundry C.A. Team. MrBenn will be our new Draft C.A. As you can tell from his position, he'll be in charge of wrangling the Draft Forum, taking over Gimil's double duty. Hopefully this will free up some time for Gimil, and allow more attention in the early stages of Map Making.

Welcome aboard MrBenn!

Additionally, we've moved the Scrap Heap underneath the Map Ideas forum from the Draft forum. Not that you really care, but I thought I'd mention it anyways.

In the next couple of days look forward to a little celebration dedicated to the Foundry...

See you all in the Foundry!

--Andy

TaCktiX wrote:In the Spotlight, we typically cover a staff-selected map and mapmaker in an interview. Mapmaker motivations, inspirations, and the like have been covered, with plenty of surprises in between.

Belatedly, here we have a lovely Spotlight with the head monkey around here: Andy Dufresne.

How old are you/what gender are you/where do you live? Answer specifically, vaguely, or not at all.I'm a young alpha monkey living in a place that needs more bananas.How did you find out about Conquer Club?Oh lets see, sometime in 2006 I wanted to play some World Domination, but I had no board unfortunately. So I turned to everyone's favorite friend, Google, and searched "Online risk website," and Conquer Club was one of the first listings--and it was the only listing I visited.What is your favorite map currently up for live play? Why that one?Hm, I'm not even sure what my favorite map is technically. **Looks in the game finder.** I suppose I keep coming back to the maps that were first on CC when I started in 2006--Classic, Asia, Canada, British Isles, plus a few random ones like Space, Africa, etc. I'm a big fan of standard maps, and so all the early maps appeal to me. They are all roughly the size I like to play on also. So I suppose because of the simplicity, size, and my early memories, I stick to those the most!

How'd you first end up in the Foundry?I don't even remember--probably just looking for something to do on the forums. I remember looking at some of the early maps in production, and thought maybe I could help out and maybe make a map some day...

Have you ever considered making a map?Funny you should ask! Many people have asked me when will I create a map, and my response is always "Never." I like being paradoxical...a Foundry Foreman who has never created a map. The humor is just too fun to cease.

But truth be told, and a few older and trusted Foundry members know this, I did actively work on a map in the earliest days of the Foundry--before I became Foreman. It was an Iberia map, as I liked the general shape of the area and it seemed to lend itself well to map production. I never got it to a stage I wanted to put it in the Foundry, but I received much help and advice from Marvaddin in those early stages. And as you all know, Bad Speler wandered into the Foundry and created an Iberia map...so my only attempt is now squashed! But I've still got ideas...lots of them!

How did the Cartography Assistant job come into existence? How has it evolved since its creation?After I became Foundry Foreman, I wasn't exactly sure what to do with the Foundry or where to take it. Lackattack and Twill essentially told me to "make it work," and then they told me to go play. In the early Foundry era, keeping up with all the maps and cartographers was relatively easy--it was my only job and no more than 10 maps were ever being actively produced at a time. But as the Foundry grew the time I could spend looking and knowing each map dwindled...and thus I needed some help--cue the C.A.

Early C.A.'s, such as Keyogi and Cairnswk, were more like mini-foreman--that is, they were essentially doing the same jack-of-all-trades work that I had been doing for a while. It was not until Coleman, Oaktown, Gimil, and now MrBenn, did we segment and split the work up to make it more manageable and focus oriented. And now that we have a crew of Stamp Lickers helping out, we hope that more attention and time can be given to maps in production.

What things have changed the most about the Foundry since you've been a part of it?I'll pick out a few obvious ones first. One is the sheer number of maps in production at any single time. As I mentioned, I remember when I could count less than 10 maps being produced. Now we have over 10 in the Main Foundry, another 10 or so in the Drafting Room, plus more in Final Forge...and countless more to be started probably even today.

Another obvious one is the quality of production. Take a look at the current British Isles or Brazil map (or think about the original Montreal, Middle East, Canada maps), and then take a look at the maps currently in production. The quality has gone bananas, but I love bananas.

Another obvious one would be creative game play is much more common now that it was in the early days. I remember when Jota was creating Discworld, and giving a +1 bonus for the Anhk-Morpork couple was exciting. Same with shared continents in Space, and negative bonuses in USApoc. Heck, even CCU's parking lot that isn't a part of a continent was unique at the time! But now we've got a plethora of maps unique play like Age of Merchants, Feudal War, CC City Mogul, Battle for Iraq!, etc. The ideas and the execution of interesting and fun ideas definitely seems to be growing and growing! Bananas, lots of bananas.

And the last thing I've seen change...is the growth of the career cartographer. Much of the early Foundry revolved around a person doing 1 map, and then disappearing. A few would stick around to work on a couple of maps like Mr. K, Jota, etc, but many were nearly one and done. But now we've repeat cartographers Mibi, DiM, Qwert, Oaktown, WidowMakers, RJbeals, etc.

Of those things, which was your favorite?The last one, of course. I feel like I get to know more about someone after having worked with them through the production of a few maps. I'm always curious to see what sort of crazy banana-idea will come out next from each of their minds.

What map was most interesting to you while in the Foundry?This one is so hard to say...I'm not sure. Probably Jota's early maps were the most interesting, because he was testing the boundaries of World Domination first--and I liked that.

What's your favorite part of being the Foundry Foreman?Quenching a cartographer's map. It makes them happy, it makes me happy, it makes everyone happy. Who doesn't like making people happy? I know I should do more of it too...maybe I'll go do some soon.

What, if anything, do you dislike about the Foundry?When things seem to become too personal. Sometimes it saddens me when a cartographer is taking criticism and feedback as if it was an attack on their personal character. Everyone just has to remember to step outside of their bodies, and look at the map for what the map is.

Is there a specific kind of map you believe the Foundry should be making more of, or that there is a high demand for?Standard maps, goodness-love 'em. I don't think we can ever have enough of standard maps. And though I personally am not too fond of crazy game play maps, I know they've got their niche market too...and I'd hate to see those go away. A turtle once told me he wanted to see a map where the "asia continent" was an objective, since no one ever attempts to hold such an area until the game is nearly won. Bananas for thought.

How did the monkey/banana-themed comments first start?What ever do you mean? I live my life, thank you very much.

What do you think of the Foundry process in general?It stinks. No really. We've got a long ways to go I think, but we're working well with what we've got so far. Little gains. I'm curious to see how the Foundry will look 3 years from now, 5 years...I'm sure it will be a different place.

What new things are in store for the Foundry in the near future?We are always looking for more people to help out in unofficial and official capacities...so keep an eye out for that. And as you all know, the 100 Maps celebration is tribute to the Foundry essentially--to all the hardwork, anger, love, frustration, and bananas that has went into cartography.

Any other questions you'd have liked to have answered, that weren't asked?Yes, who stole my bananas?

We're getting together a new team for the Platoon Report. Just as well because new things are breaking out all over the clan world like a rash. jigger1986, leader of the Grim Reapers, arrives to give us a preview of the Newcomers Cup. Nemesis member Leehar fills us in on the signups for the 2nd Conqueror's Cup. We take a quick look at the League 1/4s and celebrate the winner of our fantasy league. The cows and the ponies must make their own fun for now - but as they have likely levelled the scores at 20-20 and are filling the final 20 games for the first C.C. Finals THOTA vs. KoRT [20-18] we'll be keeping a close watch for next issue. And good luck to barterer2002. When Generation One asked for a 1on1 clan challenge they were inundated with replies. So many that barterer2002 decided to start a quickfire tourney. Great innovation.

Beginning soon, the Newcomers Cup will be a clan based event, run similar to Chuuuuck's Conqueror's Cup. It will be run by Benga, leader of the newly formed clan One Step Ahead (OSA). Although only breaking onto the clan scene in January, they have shown their competitiveness, currently with a record of 1-1. They have a recent win over AKA, and a close loss to Devil's Brigade. They currently have 3 more clan wars ongoing, as well as qualifying for the Conqueror's Cup and playing in G1's 1v1 clan war.

Benga says he started the Newcomers Cup after seeing AKA's Invitational Cup not gain the support needed to continue. He wants to give new and lower ranked clans a chance to compete, outside of the Conqueror's Cup, where they would likely be torn apart by more experienced clans. One of his main motivations for hosting this event is to give new clans a better understanding of how a clan war works, and should be run, in a controlled environment.

I asked Benga what separates the Newcomers Cup, from the Conqueror's Cup, aside from the obvious. The wars in the Newcomers Cup are run a little differently, with the first round consisting of all the top seeded clan's home games, and the second round all the lower seeded clan's home games. The lower seeded clan also gets to choose the tie-breaking game if needed. Benga feels this approach may make the wars more even.

Benga mentioned that the main goal was to get all the new and lower ranked clans involved in the cup, hoping for just 8 clans at first, but so far 11 have entered. Although there were no set in stone restrictions, no high ranking clan have been invited, for good reason. A clan like TOFU or Empire isn't going to get any satisfaction from beating a clan who are conducting their first clan war.

The Newcomers Cup is seen by Benga as a sort of trial by fire for new clans to fully immerse themselves into the clan world. Involvement in this challenge, as with most other large scale multi-clan challenges, adheres to the rules of the CLA, making it the perfect event for newcomers to be properly introduced into the clan world, on a playing field more even than something like the Clan League or the Conqueror's Cup. Sign-ups are now closed, but people can follow the action here:http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=441&t=138777

Entries for the premier Cup Competition in the clan world are complete, The Power Rankings which will determine seedings and match-ups have just been released. Here's a summary of entrantsThere's a complete list of the participating clans with a lot of the big guns being last minute entries - TSM, Kort, IA, Low, and finally Thota all joining just as sign-ups wound down. With a grand total of 29 entrants (10 more than the previous year), all the entrants from the inaugural edition - with the exception of BSS (former 9th seeds) and the now defunct EE (seeded 19th) - along with many up-and-coming clans - will play at full force. The eligibility criteria did however limit some exciting new clans like The Pack and KoA while even the reincarnations of L4D and Time (as WG and AKA respectively) being unfortunately excluded. OSA (who started their clan career with a bang in 5 simultaneous challenges) however did complete their second challenge in time to be eligible so there's a nice blend of new and old participating in the event.

The 2nd Annual Conqueror's Cup will start with a round of 32 on the 13th of March, while the top 3 seeds have a bye so if your clan is participating, be sure to stay up to date with the latest developments and have a running start in the play-ins.

Congratulations to Immortal Assassins, the first clan to make it through the Clan League 3 : Quarter finals with their defeat of Mythology. My own clan the Spanking Monkeys has taken TOFU to 9-9; we have had some luck in the deciding game but need an awful lot more now to get the win. Game 8430363 - gooooooooooo Monkis! Empire and Agents of Chaos look to be at 9-9 too with Game 8370590 being the decider. KORT are at 6-6 against LoW but look to be doing well in the unfinished games.

Congratulations to pmchugh winner of the Dispatch competition to predict the outcome of the clan regular season. Three months premium and a general achievement medal are on their way. Congrats also to leehar who tied on the score and only missed out on the win by the tiebreak. General acheivement medal well deserved. Thanks to all who played.

Victor Sullivan wrote:Q. It's ten years from now. lackattack has just officially announced CC's 15th birthday and the tragedy that Andy died in a plane crash of one of Dole's banana shipment planes as a stow away. Shocked by the news, you weep bitterly sitting at your computer in your one bedroom apartment. After mostly collecting yourself, you go back to your discussion mod duties, as you have done for the past ten and a half years, checking your inbox first. Surprisingly, you see lackattack himself has PM'd you. Hand still quivering and possibly more so now, you click on the PM link, titled "Important - Please Respond ASAP". Holding your breath, you read the message carefully, so as to not miss even a punctuation mark. lackattack has offered you AndyDufresne's job as community manager and notifies you that you will be in charge for the next month, as he vacationing in Fiji to focus on family for the month. He says that your word is law, and he trusts any decisions you make over the course of his vacation. You respond immediately, gratefully accepting the position. What is your first order of business and how would you change things over the one month period?